Center stage in front of a large audience sounds like the place most people would find themselves in a nightmare. For junior Sabrina Ness, the stage is where her dreams have come true, and the spotlight is where she finds her heart.

When she was only three months old, Ness was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis (CF), a genetic disease that causes the buildup of mucus in the lungs and other organs. She has used her passion for singing to become a representative for her condition at various galas and charity events.

“I always have sang ever since I was little,” Ness said. “I loved putting on shows and running around my house singing and just being in the stage and lights. I started young and I’ve always liked it.”

As a sixth grader, Ness was able to live out what coincides with every child’s dream when her wish was granted through the Make-A-Wish foundation. She was able to exhibit her enthusiasm for music by writing and recording her own album that included three songs, followed by her own release party.

“When I’m singing it’s just like I’m in my own world,” Ness explained. “I forget about everything, and I think that can relate to music no matter what to anyone. I don’t know where I’d be without it sometimes.”

Ness has involved herself in choir throughout elementary and middle school, and continues to stay in touch with music as a part of the concert choir and by taking private music lessons outside of school. Adding all of these activities to a busy school day calls for a busy agenda, but it does not end there.

“Every day I do vest treatments, two of those a day, one in the morning and one at night,” Ness explained. “I take probably 30 to 40 pills a day, which to most people seems crazy, but that’s normal to me.”

While sacrificing an hour or two of sleep every day for these tasks may seem like a nuisance, Ness claimed that learning the importance of a schedule and prioritizing is crucial to living the life she does.

She added, “Sometimes things will go on the back burner, but it’s never my health because if I’m not healthy, then I won’t be able to go to school or sing. If you mess one thing up with your health, the rest is like dominoes.”

The main concern with CF is typically the lung function, and it is easy to assume with a simple Google search that this applies to all who are affected by the condition. Yet for Ness, this is not the case.

“Most people wouldn’t know I even had CF because I’m so normal. It’s definitely an invisible disability, it’s not something people can see,” she said. “My lung function is as normal as anyone else. Because I’ve been so healthy, I live really normally. I go to school every day, I have a job, I can drive and sing.”

Though living with this time consuming condition continues to impact her day-to-day life, Ness is determined not to let her hindrances detract from her achievements. She noticeably demonstrates her willpower to achieve in the classroom.

“You can tell that she’s committed to singing by the way she holds her posture, by the way she makes eye contact, the way that she’s listening to those around her,” Angela Mitchell, choral music teacher explained. “I just have to be impressed by any student who would choose a passion and just really go for it and keep working at it.”

Currently, Ness is taking her talents to the next level as she performs and competes with the band 40 Below. This will be her second year as a part of the band comprised of Stillwater and St. Croix Prep students. Ness revealed that she plans on continuing to journey down the musical path as she moves on from high school.

“If I were to pursue music, it would be positive. It would be to make people feel like they have a purpose,” she said. “I feel like everyone needs that reminder no matter what.”

Ness admitted that one of her concerns with modern day music and media is that it lacks a valuable message. While many high school students can be found listening to pop or rap on the radio, she turns to some of her own favorite artists including Adele and Stevie Nicks who she believes make more purposeful music.

“I think Sabrina’s music can really inspire others because it shows you that despite adversity, you can get through it and make something out of your life,” junior Anna Fahrendorff, a life-long friend of Ness explained. “Through her pain she doesn’t complain about it. Instead she sings and turns it into something positive.”

In Ness’s album, her message to listeners was to find “What lights you up” — the title to one of her songs. She hopes that in the future she can continue to spread a meaningful message to others through music.

“I feel like it’s cool getting to inspire people or make them not only happy with music, but to prove the point that you are not defined by something just because you have it,” Ness said. “I think that’s the most valuable or rewarding part of singing is that you try to get to make a point about what you believe in.”

https://soundcloud.com/user-796360150-607900462/sabrina-ness-cystic-fibrosis